EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series of articles reviewing 2014 in each of the Victor Valley’s four municipalities.ADELANTO — It’s safe to say that Adelanto had something of a rocky year in 2014, facing a fiscal crisis that brought the city of 32,000 residents to the brink of bankruptcy.City leaders promoted a possible solution with Measure O, a ballot initiative to add a nearly 8 percent tax on all utilities in the city. The measure failed decisively in the Nov. 4 election. Continuing its efforts to garner additional tax revenues, city officials then moved forward with a prison plan that would add a 3,260-bed facility to house L.A. County inmates and generate $1.2 million in bed tax revenue each year.City officials were championing the proposal as a source of much needed revenue to mitigate its $2.6 million revenue shortfall. The plan still requires approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to succeed, but developers and city officials tout that it would bring 3,769 construction jobs and 1,250 permanent jobs to the city. With the jail proposal and Measure O being major deciding factors, the Nov. 4 election brought a major shake-up of city leadership. Three of the five members on the city council were unseated. Longtime Mayor Cari Thomas was among those voted out. She was narrowly defeated by Marine Corps veteran Rich Kerr, who garnered about 30 percent of votes to Thomas’ 27 percent in an election that had a dismal 17 percent voter turnout overall. Real estate broker and medical-marijuana proponent John “Bug” Woodard and former Adelanto Mayor Charley Glasper each took council seats, removing incumbents Steve Baisden and Charles Valvo.The day before the new council was sworn-in, Victorville city officials asked the newly-seated council members to delay the final vote on the L.A. County jail development in order to host a regional discussion on the plan. However, the new council declined the request and voted 4-1 to approve the facility. The approval came after several residents spoke out against the construction of more correctional facilities in the small city, which is already home to three (not to mention the federal prison complex in neighboring Victorville). Even more new prison beds are planned for the city’s future, after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility operated by Geo Group Inc. announced expansion plans to house 1,940 more detainees. It stands as the largest facility of its kind in Southern California. A $145 million expansion and renovation of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s High Desert Detention Center was also completed in February.Bright spots for Adelanto in 2014 included the finalization of a new regional energy partnership with Southern California Edison and each High Desert city, as well as plans for the creation of more retail businesses in the city. The SCE partnership encourages municipalities to promote energy efficiency and sustainability goals in the region. Adelanto spearheaded the initiative and since 2008 has received more than $300,000 in incentive funds for energy efficiency modifications.Two discount stores broke ground in Adelanto in 2014. Family Dollar opened in late October and construction is underway for Dollar General with an opening date expected in the coming months. Plans for an Adelanto Steak N’ Shake were also still in the works after the chain’s first restaurant in the state opened in Victorville.In May, a brand new Wal-mart Supercenter shopping area opened along the Victorville-Adelanto border at the Palmdale Road and Highway 395 intersection. The 176,000-square-foot store, along with a new McDonald’s, Chevron gas station, Panda Express, AutoZone, El Pollo Loco, Sally’s Beauty Supply, Dollar Tree, and other shops, were expected to serve Adelanto residents but will not bring any added tax revenue to the city, as the shops sit on the Victorville side of the border.In more efforts to alleviate its $2.6 million deficit, the city put its baseball stadium up for sale. However, no solid offers had been made by late September. The facility is home to the High Desert Mavericks, and the baseball team’s contract would be included in the sale, City Manager Jim Hart said.In late November, the city’s 11th annual Christmas Parade was canceled due to limited revenues and donations. In early December, after a few years of costly litigation to fight a case against bond-insurer Ambac Assurance Corporation, the Adelanto Public Utility Authority settled for $7.8 million. The water and sewer authority, which operates as a separate legal entity from the city, will sell $13.5 million in bonds to pay off the settlement and make system improvements. The case stemmed from a 2009 claim that APUA failed to make a termination payment to Ambac when it was undergoing an interest-rate swap, a city official said. Brooke Self may be reached at 760-951-6232 or BSelf@VVDailyPress.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSelf or @DPEduNews.

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